'We won't tolerate any anarchy breaking out in Swadlincote' a top police officer has warned after two men were violently assaulted.

The assaults are believed to have been incited in part by comments on social media, police have said.

The two victims were badly injured, with one was attacked with a blunt instrument, believed to have been a hammer.

It comes as officers admitted there was an 'element of truth' to the comments left on social media, but that these have 'spiralled way out of control'.

In footage captured by the Burton Mail at the latest Newhall Area Forum meeting on Wednesday, June 27, South Derbyshire's safer neighbourhood sergeant Graham Summers agreed with a member of the public that many lies were being spread on social media and he warned that people cannot 'fight crime with crime'.

The other man was found injured in North Street (Image: Helen Kreft)

However, while Sergeant Summers did admit there was 'an element of truth' to comments left on Facebook, he said they had 'spiralled way out of control' and now the truth was being lost.

He also said that officers now had the information they need to tackle the issue.

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He said: "This seems to escalate because of social media, and I use the term social media very loosely because it is actually unsocial in a lot of the cases. There is a lot of untruths that you read on them.

"I use it for jokes, politics and sports, that sort of thing but I just get a bit fed up. I don't follow these sites which report this sort of thing, it comes via third hand, or people who I follow.

Sergeant Graham Summers at Newhall Area Forum, answering issues about two attacks in Swadlincote

"Half the problem seems to be that there is a lot of lies being spread about on this social media, isn't there?"

Sergeant Summers replied: " Yes. In the foundation of the issue there is an element of truth. The comments on social media have spiked way out of control; it is now not what it seems.

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"Two people have been injured. We won't tolerate any anarchy breaking out within Swadlincote. When I say anarchy I mean a small vigilante group hurting people because you cannot fight crime with crime.

"People who commit crime - which may or may not be the people who have been injured - we will deal with those people for the offences like we do all the time.

Sergeant Graham Summers at Newhall Area Forum, answering issues about two attacks in Swadlincote

"For someone to go out there and injure them, all they are doing is becoming criminals themselves and they will be dealt with.

"The message from us is if you are inciting it on social media then you are potentially causing other people injury, and possibly yourself by inciting them.

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"Hopefully it has come to an end now. A lot of the stuff said on social media isn't true. The police have the information that we need to tackle the issue and we will."

Inspector Kate Bateman, who is the section inspector for the Swadlincote area, previously took the step of issuing a statement on Facebook saying officers had a duty to protect everyone, 'whoever they are and whatever their background'.

She said: “We are determined to find out who was responsible for these shocking acts of violence and are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

One of the men was attacked in Midland Road (Image: Helen Kreft)

“We believe the two incidents to be linked and that social media may have played a part in inciting them.

“Anyone getting involved in these online conversations, I urge you to stop it as you too may well be breaking the law.”

She went on to give details on arrests that police had made, including 54 in relation to offences of theft, 80 for drug related crimes and and 20 for robberies.

She also said the police had executed 30 drug warrants over the last 12 months.